Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are scheduled to hold their first bilateral meeting in five years on Wednesday, as confirmed by Indian officials. This significant gathering follows a recent agreement between the two nations regarding their long-standing border disputes.
The talks will occur on the sidelines of the three-day Brics summit taking place in Kazan, Russia, hosted by President Vladimir Putin. This meeting is perceived as a potential thaw in relations between India and China, particularly after a series of violent clashes between their troops in 2020.
The summit will see the participation of around 20 world leaders, including those from Turkey and Iran. Key topics on the agenda include establishing a Brics-led international payment system and addressing the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Russia aims to position this platform as a counterbalance to Western-led organizations such as the G7, a sentiment that finds support from President Xi.
Vikram Misri, a senior official in India’s foreign ministry, confirmed on Tuesday that Modi and Xi would meet during the summit. The last formal meeting between the leaders of these two populous nations was in October 2019, when Xi visited Modi in India. Relations have been strained since a deadly skirmish in Ladakh in 2020, which resulted in significant military casualties on both sides.
Despite the recent tensions, both countries have withdrawn large numbers of troops from the disputed areas and agreed to limit patrols along the Line of Actual Control. Recently, India announced a new agreement with China regarding patrolling arrangements, indicating a potential easing of military tensions.
While Modi and Xi have had brief encounters at G20 meetings over the past year, India has maintained that relations cannot normalize until the situation in Ladakh is restored to its previous state. Over the past four years, India has made it increasingly challenging for Chinese companies to invest in critical sectors, while also banning several Chinese apps, including TikTok.
In an effort to counter China’s influence in the Asia-Pacific region, India has strengthened its ties with the Quad, a U.S.-led coalition comprising India, Australia, and Japan. Conversely, Beijing is likely to urge India to restore economic ties and open its market to Chinese companies.
During the discussions at the summit, President Putin underscored the close relationship between Russia, China, and India, stating that their cooperation is a stabilizing factor in global politics. The Brics summit, which has drawn attention due to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ first visit to Russia in over two years, symbolizes the largest diplomatic gathering in the country since the onset of the Ukraine conflict in 2022.
